He added that there would still be a cost to the authority, despite the fact that rebates - paid by the council - from would be reimbursed by central government.

He said: "We've had to put members of staff on this task who we've had to take off other functions and services, so there has been a cost to the council in this respect."

The Department for Work and Pensions said it expected comparatively "very few" households to be affected by the rebates and it was working with the council to ensure affected claimants were kept informed.